iPhone

The International Space Station. Hubble. The space shuttle. Astronauts, taikonauts, and cosmonauts. They fly overhead more often than you think. All you need to know is when to look.

“Satellite Flybys” turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an indispensable, field-tested satellite watching tool. It tells you when spacecraft are about to appear (with a countdown clock!), which direction you should face, and even turns down the screen brightness to boost night vision. It also cuts through much confusion. There are thousands of spacecraft in Earth orbit. “Satellite flybys” tells you only about the most interesting and newsworthy objects. Selections are made by Dr. Tony Phillips of spaceweather.com and updated anytime you’re on the internet.

1. A one week look-ahead schedule of flybys

2. Active flyby alerts. Your phone will ring and prompt you to launch the app when a series of interesting flybys is in the offing.

3. A flyby countdown clock. This really fun feature helps you know *exactly* when to look.